Hygienic appliance for sound-transmitter mouthpieces.



' No. 654,096; Pa tented m I7, I900. T. R.-0WEN. HYGIENIC APPLIANCE FOB SOUND TRANSMITTER MOUTHPIECES.

(Application filed Jim. 80, 1900.)

(No Model.)

UNTTED STATES PATENT EEicE.

HYGIENIC APPLIANCE FOR SOUND-TRANSMITTERMOUTHPIECES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 654,096, dated July 17, 1900. Application filed January 30, 1900A Serial No. 3,378. (No model.)

To all whom it vita/y concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS ROBINSON OWEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Hygienic Appliance for Sound-Transmitter Mouthpieces, of which the following is a specification.

An object of this invention is to provide a superior appliance for protecting the mouthpieces of telephones, speaking-tubes, and the like from impurities blown from the mouth of the users and guarding against the dissemination of disease-germs by the promiscuous use of such mouthpieces.

Another object of my invention is to provide more ready means for intercepting and removing such impurities before they reach the mouthpiece.

In carrying out my invention I provide a strip of paper or any other suitable pliable material and a holder for holding the strip and guiding it across the mouth of the mouthpiece, so that any one using the telephone may by simply pulling the strip to draw an unused portion across the mouthpiece and then tearing off the used portion furnish the mouthpiece with a clean and unused shield in front of the mouthpiece, so that there will be no danger of any microbes or impurities from the mouth of previous users being brought close to his mouth.

The strip may be used for advertising purposes, if desired.

My invention is capable of being carried out in various ways. It may be applied in the original manufacture of the mouthpiece or subsequently as an attachment to the mouthpiece.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a form in which my invention may be applied as an attachment for the ordinary telephonemouthpiece.

Figure I is a perspective view showing a telephone-mouthpiece provided with my invention. Figll is a vertical axial mid-section of the attachment in place. The mouthpiece is shown intact. Fig. III is a plan View of the attachment in place. Dotted lines indicate the mouthpiece. Fig. IV is a rear view of the appliance detached. Fig. V is a view looking up at the bottom of the device. Fig.

V1 is an enlarged fragmental detail to illustrate the tension-clip for holding the paper strip tight across the front of the mouthpiece. Fig. VII is a view of a sheet-metal blank of which a frame or holder maybe bent. This view is on a reduced scale.

0, indicates the holder or frame for holding a strip of paper I) and guiding it across the mouth of the mouthpiece c. The holder may be variously formed. In the form shown it comprises an attaching member 1, adapted to be fastened to the mouthpiece rearwardly of the front thereof, and arms 2 3 to receive the mouthpiece between them and to extend to near the front of the mouthpiece at opposite sides thereof. They may extend into the plane of the mouthpiece or rearward thereof or in front thereof, as desired.

In the drawings guides 5 and 6 at'the front ends of the arms 2 and 3, respectively, are

provided substantially in the plane of the rim of the mouthpiece. I

7 indicates bearings in cars or lugs 8, which lugs extend outward from the arm 2 of the holder to hold or carry a paper-roll 9 rearwardly of the front of the guides 5 and 6. 10 indicates the axle of the roller 9, on which the paper or other flexible strip is wound.

11 indicates a brake comprising a spring fastened to the member 1 and extending up to press against the wound portion of the strip 1) to keep it in place and prevent it from racing or unwinding from its own resiliency.

For convenience of manufacture the holder may be formed of a single blank of sheet metal or other suitable material appropriately cut and bent. I

In Fig. VII, I have shown the blank appropriatelycut. Dotted lines indicate the bending of the sheet.

To manufacture my invention in the form of an attachment for the telephone-mouthpieces now in use, I prefer to form the holder of some suitable sheet material having sufficient strength and stiffness for the purpose. Sheet nickel-alloyed aluminium of 22 gage is suitable. The sheet is first cut into the form shown in Fig. VII, the edges being slit, as at 12, to form the lugs or ears 8, which are tobe finally bent to stand up and are provided with an opening of suitable form, such as the slots 7, to hold the roller upon which the paper .the Slit.

strip is to be wound. Such roller serves as means for holding the flexible strip and for feeding it to be drawn across the mouth of the mouthpiece. 13 indicates a slit just wide enough to receive the strip 1). The member 6 is formed by the portion of the sheet below This member terminates with a straight edge to form a cutter, against which the paper will be drawn to be torn after being used. 14 indicates a hole the size of the threaded portion 15 of the ordinary telephonemouthpiece 0, so that when the holder has been bent along the dotted lines 16 into the form shown in Fig. I the holder can be fasmouthpiece c and inserting the screw-thread-- ed portion through the hole 14 and then screw-r ing the mouthpiece firmly into position, as shown in Fig. II. The shoulder 21 on the mouthpiece c clamps the member 1 securely against the body cl of the telephone. When the holder is thus attached to the mouthpiece, the paper strip will be threaded under the guides 5 and drawn down in front of the mouthpiece c and passed through the slit 13 behind the cutting member 6. It is desirable that the strip should be held taut across the mouth of the mouthpiece, and for this purpose and for the purpose of strengthening the holder I make provision for the Wings 17 to be bent over, so that in the completed attachment the said wings will extend behind the member 1, under the mem -ber 3, and behind the member 6.

In the practical manufacture, taking the sheet as shown in Fig. VII, the lugs or wings 8 and 17 will be first bent rearward from the point of view in Fig. VII, the wings 8 being left substantially at right angles to the member 2, while the wings 17 will be bent over against the back of the members 1, 3, and 6, so that their edges will come to the lines indicated by dotted lines 18. Then the members 2 and 3 will be bent forward from the member 1 and the member 6 will be bent downward from the member 3, thus bringing the parts into the position indicated in Fig. II. The portions of the wings 17 which extend down behind the member 6 are slightly oblique to the plane of the member 6 to leave spaces e to form, together with the member 6, downward extensions of the slit 13, through which the paper will pass from the slit 13 down to the bottom of the member 6. The

inner edges 19 of these portions of the wings are preferably brought to press against the rear face of the member 6, so that when the strip of paper is drawn down through the slit 13 and the extensions thereof it will be gripped between the edges 19 and the back of member 6, thus being held tight across the front of the attachment.

The brake 11 may be formed in any suitable manner. I preferably form it of a piece of spring-wire bent into the form of an inverted U, and its ends are brought between and held in place by the member 1 and the portions 20 of the wings 17, which fit against the rear of the central member 1.

In practical use the person desiring to speak through the telephone may before using the telephone grasp the lower end of the strip or ribbon 1) between the thumb and forefinger and draw the strip to bring the portion which has been before the mouthpiece down below the cuttingmember 6 and may then tear off the portion which has been in front of the telephone. By this means each user may provide himself with a fresh unused shield to speak against.

If'desired, advertising matter (not shown) may be printed on the strip b;

The strip may be made of any suitable length-say from ten to fifteen feet-and is preferably pointed at the free end, as shown in Fig. I, to aid in threading the strip when the same is first placed in position.

What Iclailn, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A hygienic appliance for sound-transmitter mouthpieces comprising a flexible strip and means for holding the strip and guiding it across the mouth of the mouthpiece.

2. A hygienic appliance for sound-transmitter mouthpieces comprising a roller; a strip mounted on the roller; means for bold ing the roller; and means for guiding and holding the strip across the mouth of the mouthpiece.

3. A hygienic appliance for sound-transmitter mouthpieces comprising a holder to be attached to the mouthpiece and provided with bearings for a roller and with means for guiding a flexible strip across the mouth of the mouthpiece; a roller having its axle mounted in the bearings; and a strip of flexible material wound on the roller and passing through the guides.

4. A hygienic appliance for sound-transmitter mouthpieces comprising a member adapted to be fastened to the mouthpiece rearwardly of the front thereof and provided with arms to extend to near the front of the mouthpiece at opposite sides thereof, and pro vided with guides to hold a strip of flexible material; a holder for a roll of flexible material rearward of the front of the strip-holder; and a strip of flexible material wound in a roll carried by the roll-holder and the free end passed through the stripguides to extend in front of the mouthpiece.

5. The combination with a sound-transmitter mouthpiece, of two guides arranged on op posite sides of the front of the mouthpiece to hold a strip of flexible material across the mouthpiece; means for holding such strip and to feed the same across the mouthpiece; and such strip in the holder and extending across the mouthpiece.

6. In a device for holding a strip of paper or other flexible material across a sound-trans mitter mouthpiece; a frame composed of a sheet bent to form an attaching member, two forwardly-projecting arms provided at their outer ends with guides for holding the strip, and the upper arm being provided with two upwardly-bent ears notched to receive the axle of a roller.

7. The combination with a sound-transmitter mouthpiece, of a holder with guides located at the open end of the mouthpiece; and a flexible strip to run in the guides and in front of the mouthpiece substantially as set forth.

8. The combination of a roll-holder adapted for fastening to a sound-transmitter mouthpiece; means for holding a strip of paper across the mouth of the mouthpiece; a roller journaled in the roll-holder; a strip of paper or other flexible material wound on the roll and passed through the strip-holder; and a brake to press against the rolled strip to regulate the feed.

9. The combination with a sound-transmitter mouthpiece, of a paper-holder at one side of the mouthpiece and a cutter at the other side of the mouthpiece substantially as set forth. I

10. The holder for sound transmitter mouthpieces composed of a sheet comprising a rear member; two forwardly -projecting arms; a downwardly-extending cutting member extending downward from one of the arms; lugs extending upward from the other arm; and a hole through the rear member to allow the insertion of the screw-threaded portion of the mouthpiece for the purpose of fastening theholder in position with relation to the mouthpiece substantially as set forth.

11. The strip-holder for sound-transmitter mouthpieces comprising a sheet provided near one end with a slit and near the middle with a hole to receive the threaded portion of the sound-transmitter mouthpiece and being bent to form a central attaching member, two forwardly-projecting arms, and a cutting member substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

12. A strip-holder for sound-transmitter mouthpieces comprising a sheet provided with rearwardly-bent stiffening-wings, an attaching member, two arms projecting forward from said member to receive the mouthpiece between them, one of said arms being bent to form a cutting member and provided at the bend with a slit opening into the way formed between the bent wings and the sheet, and the other arm being bent to form a guide for guiding a flexible strip into the slit.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, at Los Angeles, California, this 23d day of January, 1900.

THOMAS R. OWEN.

Witnesses:

JAMES R. TOWNSEND, FRANCIS M. TOWNSEND. 

